Ballast cleaning apparatus



April 30, 1968 M. J. SPENO 3,380,180

BALLAST CLEANING APPARATUS Filed May 10, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l 9C 4 INVENTOR,

52 M427, See/v0 haw-5M a m ATTORNEYS April 30, 1968 M. J. SPENO EAL-LAST CLEANING APPARATUS Filed May 10, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR, Mzr/A/ J. SPE/VO ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,380,180 BALLAST CLEANING APPARATUS Martin J. Speno, Syracuse, N.Y., 'assignor to Frank Speno Railroad Ballast Cleaning Co., Inc., Ithaca, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed May 10, 1965, Ser. No. 454,588 Claims. (Cl. 37-105) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE A scarifier assembly supported from a flatcar to engage the ballast of the roadbed near the ends of the ties and comprising a rigid frame carried by the car at a free end of which an excavating tool is carried. A guide shoe is connected to the tool for operative engagement with the ties to properly position the tool and the frame is yieldingly urged toward the ties to maintain the shoe in engagement with them. The tool is connected to the frame for yielding movement and secured against such yielding by a shear pin. The frame itself is swingable between its operative raised and lowered positions respectively by a suitable fluid actuated unit.

This invention relates to improvements in railroad ballast cleaning apparatus.

It is well known that in the maintenance of railroad tracks and roadbeds, it is necessary periodically to remove the accumulated mud, dirt, and foreign matter from the rock ballast of the roadbed in which the railroad ties are customarily partially embedded. This is necessary in order to free the interstices between the rock particles of mud and dirt which will normally tend to accumulate in them. In many instances, the ballast cleaning is limited to the ballast lying outwardly immediately beyond the ends of the railroad ties. This particular ballast is generally removed by traveling scoops, delivered to suitable sifting or dirt-removing apparatus and, after being cleaned, is redeposited on the roadbed.

In this process, however, the ballast scoops normally are spaced outwardly from the ends of the railroad cross ties to avoid collision with projecting tie ends, and are incapable of removing mud and dirt which will normally accumulate in the ballast adjacent the tie ends and cling to the ends of the ties. This impedes proper drainage of the ballast even after cleaning of the ballast at other less critical locations. Improper drainage, of course, contributes to the rotting of the ties.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the instant invention to provide an improved mechanism for removing dirty ballast, including such accumulated mud and dirt from and adjacent the ends of the ties and moved laterally outwardly from the ties where it may be picked up by conventional scoops and cleaned with the rest of the ballast.

Thus, in accordance with the invention there is provided a scarifying device or apparatus which is guided along a path laterally contiguous to the ends of the ties and substantially in scraping relation with the ends. In order to avoid collision of the device with the end portions of the ties which project laterally to a greater extent than adjacent ties, the device is supported for relative lateral movement and is resiliently urged inwardly toward the ends of ties, while being guided past said ends by means of a guide shoe or runner which rides along the said ends and accurately positions the tool in substantially scraping relationship with the end portions of successive ties.

In addition, the device is preferably adapted to engage and remove ballast from beneath the ends of the ties. For this reason, it is provided with suitable scarifying 3,380,180 Patented Apr. 30, 1968 blade or blades at desired levels. Preferably these will project somewhat beneath the ends of the respective ties to perform an undercutting function.

Further advantageous features of the instant invention include provision for adjustment of the work-engaging parts of the apparatus to pre-selected lateral and vertical operating positions; and for retractability of the device to a raised and inwardly displaced inoperative position for transport, so that all portions of the apparatus are located well within the clearance requirements when traveling over the railroad. Also, in the preferred embodiment, provision is made for rearward yielding or breaking away of the ballast engaging portion of the device incident to the encountering by it of an excessive degree of opposition to its forward movement, as for instance when it engages heavy or substantially immovable objects. Further, it is contemplated to use such breaking away action for actuating a control means or element for the brakes of the train which carries the apparatus of the invention, whereby to bring the train to a halt before various other components of ballast cleaning equipment collide with and incur risk of damage by such obstacle or obstacles.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the front end portion only of a conventional railroad flat car equipped with the apparatus of the invention, and showing such apparatus in broken lines in its inoperative transport position.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a substantially horizontal plan section of the mere side of the structure shown in FIGURE 1, this view being taken of the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1, and showing in broken lines the apparatus when placed in its inoperative transport position.

FIGURE 4 is a detail plan section on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary side elevation showing a slightly modified form of the scarifying or excavating apparatus of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 6 is a detail cross-section on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5.

Referring now in detail to the accompanying drawings, the invention is shown in its application to a generally conventional fiat car, the frame F of which includes the rigid side sills 10 and 10' respectively extending parallel to each other. The car is suitably supported by conventional wheels such as 11 in FIGURE 1 for movement along the parallel rails 12 and 12'. As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, these rails 12 and 12', in accordance with conventional practice, are supported on wooden cross ties 13, which are partially embedded in and supported by conventional ballast 14, generally consisting of rock fragments. In addition to providing firm support for the respective ties 13, the rock ballast 14 defines interstices between adjoining rocks through which moisture normally drains away from the wooden ties 13.

It is, of course, necessary when the ballast becomes clogged by dirt and mud to clean the ballast so as to facilitate drainage and thereby preserve the ties against deterioration by decay. The conventional ballast cleaning means for removing and cleaning ballast adjacent to the outer ends of the ties normally employs ballast pickup scoops disposed for movement in paths spaced outwardly from the ends of the respective ties in order to avoid collision with ties which project irregularly beyond others. Because of this, such conventional scoops are incapable of removing the mud and dirt which has been found to accumulate on and adjacent the ends of the ties and in many instances to adhere to them. Such accumulation, if left, continues to interfere with the drainage, even after completion of the cleaning of ballast on the roadbed shoulders in the usual manner.

Therefore, in accordance with the invention, there are carried on the opposite sides of the fiat car scarifying tools or devices which preferably are disposed in advance of conventional ballast scoops (not shown) for the purpose of removing this accumulation of mud and dirt from the ends of the ties and also preferably from the areas immediately adjacent them. The accumulations thus removed, together with the surrounding dirty ballast, are moved laterally outwardly into the path of the following scoop or scoops which will normally follow the scarifying apparatus.

Since the devices or units thus positioned on either side of the car in accordance with the invention are identical with each other, though symmetrically arranged, it will suffice to describe but one of them in detail. Accordingly, the present detailed description is directed primarily to the scarifying device shown on the right-hand side of FIGURE 2, it being understood, however, that the various components of the similar device shown on the left-hand side of said figure are designated by similar but primed reference characters.

The device thus comprises a rigid frame including a supporting arm 15, one end of which is pivotally-connected at 16 to the adjacent side sill of the railroad car for vertical swinging movement about an axis extending transversely to the rails 12 and 12' and to the line of movement of the car along these rails. To this end, there is provided a bearing 17 afiixed to the car frame and fixedly supporting bearing members 18. The element defining the pivotal connection 16 comprises a rigid shaft which is freely rotatably and axially slidably supported in the bearing 17, preferably by way of the bearing mernbers 18.

In order to reinforce the arm against lateral displacement, there is preferably provided a laterally diagonal brace 20 (FIGURES 2 and 3) one end of which is fixedly connected to the arm 15 adjacent its free end while the other end of the brace 20 is affixed to the shaft 16 by being rigidly connected to a sleeve 21 which encircles and is secured to the shaft 16. Thus the arm 15, shaft 16, and diagonal brace 20 jointly define a rigid swingably supported frame having a free end portion by which the scraping and excavating means hereinafter described are supported.

For angularly adjusting the swingable frame or support, including the arm 15, about the axis of shaft 16, there is provided a suitable power means (shown in FIG- URE 2) exemplified by a hydraulically actuated doubleacting piston and cylinder unit in which the cylinder 22 has its upper end pivoted at 23 to an upwardly projecting standard 24 which in turn is rigidly affixed to the side sill 10 of the car frame and in effect constitutes a portion of the car frame. It will be understood that the piston (not shown) of this unit is disposed for axial sliding movement within the cylinder 22 under the action of fluid pressure within the cylinder. This piston is connected in conventional manner by its piston rod 25, clevis 26, and the stationary pin 27 in a manner to provide a laterally slidable pivotal connection between the tool frame 15, 16, 20 and the piston-cylinder unit such as will permit lateral adjustment of the entire frame along the axis 16 without interfering with its angular adjustment.-

To this end, the pin 27 is fixedly supported between relatively spaced blocks 28 and 29 constituting portions of a bracket, the base 30 of which is welded or otherwise rigidly affixed to relatively spaced vertical supporting plates 31 and 32. These plates 31 and 32 respectively are rigid and define a clevis at the free end portion of the arm 15.

It will be noted that the unobstructed portion of the pivot .pin 27 between its supporting blocks 28 and 29 is at least equal to the permissible range of lateral adjustment of the arm 15 and the shaft 16. Such lateral adjustment and positioning of the shaft 16 and its associated frame numbers 15 and 20 is produced by power means, here exemplified by a piston and cylinder unit such as is best illustrated in FIGURE 3. This unit comprises a cylinder 33 having one end pivotally connected at 34 to the bearing 17 as by means of a clevis 35 afiixed to the hearing. The piston of such unit, not shown, has its piston rod 36 pivotally connected at 37 to the frame 15, 16 and 20 preferably by means of a clevis 38 afiixed to the sleeve 21.

During the comparatively limited angular movement of the supporting frame 15, 16, 20 between the full line operative position of FIGURE 1 and the inoperative position shown in broken lines in FIGURE 1, it will be apparent that the clevises 35 and 33 will tend to be angularly displaced about the axis of the bearing members 18. As will be apparent, the piston rod 36 and its associated piston (not shown) are free for relative rotary movement with respect to the ram cylinder 33. The pivotal connections 34 and 37 are formed to have sufficient play with respect to the parts interconnected by them to permit the relatively minor displacement which will occur between them in the plane of the drawing and transversely to the axis of the bearing.

The power unit in this instance is of a conventional double-acting type capable of adjusting the arm 15 and its associated frame members laterally inwardly to a position substantially as indicated in broken lines in FIGURE 3, as well as laterally outwardly to a position somewhat beyond its normal operating position as shown in full lines in FIGURE 3. The fluid inlet and outlet lines indicated diagrammatically at 40 and 41 in FIGURE 3 communicate with the interior of the cylinder 33 on opposite sides of its piston, These lines 40 and 41 may have their roles interchanged through connection of both lines to a suitable reversing valve (not shown).

In this case, the lateral inward movement of the arm 15 toward the ends of the ties is produced in response to the supplying of pressurized fluid through the line 41 and consequent projection of the piston rod 36 from cylinder 33. In order that the tool or scarifying mechanism carried by the arm 15 may be resiliently maintained in guiding engagement with the outwardly presented ends of the respective ties, there is preferably interposed in the line 41 an accumulator 43 of the class in which the actuating liquid is exposed to a resilient pressure such as may be exerted by air or gas trapped in the accumulator above the level of liquid therein.

Outward movement of the arm 15 is produced by admitting liquid under pressure through line 40 to the cylinder 33 while permitting its escape through the line 41.

The ballast excavating or scarifying element designated 45 in its entirety is carried at the free end of the arm 15 between the clevis plates 31 and 32 so hat it may either be lowered to the desired operating depth or else placed in its inoperative position for transport, as shown in broken lines in FIGURE 1, through actuation of the cylinder 22 in conjunction with the cylinder 33.

The ballast excavating tool or element 45 preferably is provided with a depending rigid shank 46, the upper end of which extends between the plates 31 and 32 where it is supported by pivot pin 47 for swinging movement in a vertical plane parallel to the arm 15. Normally the shank 46 and element 45 are restrained against rearward swinging movement by rearward abutment with a shear pin 48 disposed through aligned openings in the plates 31 and 32 as illustrated in FIGURE 1. A stop 50 at the free end of arm 15 limits the forward swinging of shank 46.

The guide shoe or runner 51 is afiixed to the shank on its inner side for guiding engagement with the ends of the ties in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 4, the shoe having an outwardly curved leading end so that it will freely ride outwardly and over the ends of occasional ties which project outwardly beyond the normal line of said tie ends. The leading edge of the shank 46 thus is guided past the ends of the respective ties in near contiguous and substantially scraping relation therewith to remove accumulated mud and dirt which may tend to adhere to the tie ends. For deflecting the displaced mud, dirt, and intermixed dirty ballast outwardly to be picked up by a trailing scoop or other device, there is provided a plow blade or lateral deflector plate 52, shown in FIGURES l and 4, the trailing portion of which is outwardly curved away from the center line of the track.

In addition to the foregoing parts, it is further desirable to provide the excavating or scarifying tool with a depending portion including the downwardly projecting and forwardly presented pointed tooth 53 to which is securely fixed an extension plate 54. The tooth 53 and the extension plate 54 preferably are positioned at such a level with respect to the guide shoe or runner 51 and the deflector plate 52 that when the latter is in operative position with respect to the ends of the ties, the tooth 53 and tooth plate 54 will be positioned below the ties. The plate 54 will preferably extend slightly beneath the tie ends so as to provide an undercutting action with respect to the ballast beneath the ends.

For the purpose of securely supporting the arm 15 and its associated structure in the fully raised inwardly laterally retracted transport position shown in broken lines in FIGURES 1 and 3, the relatively opposed clevis plates 31 and 32 at the free end of the yarn 15 preferably are provided with auxiliary spaced clevis members indicated at 55 in FIGURES 1 and 5. When the omnings in these members are brought into registry with the cooperating perforated bracket 56 carried by the side sill of the car, a locking pin '57 may be inserted through the aligned openings in the members 55 and 56 to secure the arm in its transport position independently of the cylinders 22 and 33.

In the use of the invention, the car is transported to and from work areas with the arm 15 and its associated frame structure and scarifying tool maintained in raised inoperative position by the pin 57 as shown in FIG- URE 1. In order to place the invention in operation, the pin 57 is removed and the cylinder 22 is actuated to commence lowering of the arm 15, while the cylinder 33 is actuated to project the arm 15 laterally outwardly somewhat beyond the position shown by full lines in FIGURE 3, so that the guide shoe or runner 51 will clear the ends of the ties. Forward movement of the car at slow speed will cause the plow blade 54 and tooth 53 to dig into the ballast and clear the way for other parts of the descending tool.

When the tool 45 is fully descended to the location where the power blade 54 is beneath the level of the ties the double-acting cylinder unit 33 is actuated to return it toward the ties and to press its guide shoe or runner 51 into operative engagement with the end faces of the respective ties 13 for movement therealong with the car. The resilient pressure exerted by the action of the accumulator 43 will yieldably and resiliently maintain the shoe 51 in rubbing engagement with the ends of the ties. Such resilient pressure will cause the shoe 51 and the arm 15 to move outwardly and inwardly as necessary to follow the tie ends in such manner that the tool will pass by these ends in continuous substantially scraping relation to them in the intended manner, while the plow blade 54 performs the desired undercutting action beneath the ends of the respective ties. The deflector blade 52 will move the loosened foul ballast outwardly away from the ends of the ties and into the path followed by a conventional ballast scoop.

In the event the excavating tool 45 encounters a substantially immovable obstacle, the resulting pressure against its cooperating shear pin 48 will cause the latter to shear away so as to permit rearward swinging or yielding of the entire tool on its pivot pin 47.

It is desirable to use this swinging or breaking away movement for actuating the control element 58 (see FIGURE 1) of an air brake control valve 60 to thus apply the brakes of the train of which the car constitutes a part, whereby to bring the train to a halt before the same obstacle is encountered by other following portions of associated ballast treating or cleaning mechanisms such as ballast pick-up scoops which will normally follow the scarifier assembly of the invention to pick up and clean the dirty ballast laterally displaced by the deflector plate 52 together with other dirty ballast from the shoulder of the roadbed.

In lieu of the shear pin 48, there may be employed an arrangement such as illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6 wherein there is employed a shear cylinder 61 pivotally connected to a bracket 59 on the arm 15 with its piston rod 62 connected to a bracket 45a on the tool 45 at a location 63 eccentric to the pivotal axis 47. The arrangement is such that forward travel of the tool in engagement with the ballast will exert a rearward swinging force tending to draw the piston rod 62 rearwardly so that fluid trapped in the cylinder 61 rearwardly of the piston will be compressed by such force. A relief valve 64 communicates with such trapped fluid within the cylinder 61 through a line 65 and this relief valve is such to permit the escape of the fluid when the pressure within the rear end of cylinder 61 exceeds a predetermined amount. This will permit the tool 45 to yield rearwardly when encountering an obstacle.

It will be readily apparent from the foregoing description that the present invention provides a means for cleaning the ballast and removing accumulated and caked dirt and foreign matter from the ends of the ties in locations which have heretofore been inaccessible by usual ballast cleaning apparatus. Also, it will be appreciated that the apparatus of the invention is comparatively simple, rugged in construction, capable of being readily retracted from and returned to operative position as desired, and that it includes novel provision for avoiding damage due to collision with unyielding obstacles.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A scarifier asesmbly adapted for support from the frame of a railroad fiat car for operative engagement with the ballast of the roadbed adjacent the outer ends of the ties of the railroad track comprising a rigid tool supporting frame carried by said car, a ballast excavating tool carried by said frame in position for engagement with the ballast adjacent the outer ends of the said ties, a guide shoe connected to said tool for engagement with the laterally outer ends of the respective railroad ties to position said tool in scraping relation to the ends of the ties, and means for yieldably urging said tool inwardly toward the said ties to maintain said shoe in guided engagement with the ends of the respective ties, the tool being pivotally connected to said tool supporting frame for rearward movement relative thereto, yieldable means comprising a piston and cylinder unit extending between and connected to said tool supporting frame and to said tool respectively, and means for maintaining actuating fluid at a predetermined substantially constant pressure in the unit and for permitting escape of said actuating fluid from the piston and cylinder unit when said pressure is exceeded, whereby the yieldable means presents a predetermined degree of opposition to said rearward movement of the tool.

2. A scarifier assembly adapted for support from the frame of a railroad flat car for operative engagement with the ballast of the roadbed adjacent the outer ends of the ties of the railroad track comprising a rigid tool supporting frame carried by said car, a ballast excavating tool carried by said frame for engagement with the bal last adjacent the outer ends of the said ties, power means for selectively adjusting said supporting frame laterally toward and away from the said ties, a guide shoe connected to said tool for operative engagement with the laterally outwardly presented vertical ends of the respective railroad ties, and means for yieldably urging said tool toward the said ties to maintain said shoe in guided engagement with said ends of the respective ties.

3. A scarifier assembly adapted for support from the frame of a railroad flat car for operative engagement with the ballast of a railroad roadbed adjacent the outer ends of the ties of the railroad track, comprising a rigid frame carried by said car for swinging movement about a fixed generally horizontal axis extending transversely to the rails and having a free end spaced radially from said horizontal axis, a ballast excavating tool carried at the free end of said frame for engagement with the ballast adjacent the outer ends of the said ties, power means for selectively adjusting said frame laterally along its axis of swinging movement, power means interconnecting said frame and said car for selectively positioning and maintaining said frame in desired positions of angular adjustment about said horizontal axis, a guide shoe carricd by said tool for engagement with the laterally outer vertical ends of the respective railroad ties, and means for yieldably urging said support inwardly toward the vertical tie ends to maintain said shoe in guided engagement with said vertical tie ends.

4. A scarifier assembly as defined in claim 3 in which said tool includes a normally depending rigid shank pivotally connected to the free end of said frame for angular adjustment about an axis parallel to said horizontal axis, and yieldable means connected to said tool for presenting a predetermined degree of opposition to swinging of the tool about its said axis of angular adjustment in a rearward direction with respect to the movement of said tool.

5. A scarifier assembly as defined in claim 4 in which said yieldable means comprises a shear pin normally interconnecting said rigid shank to the said frame at a location eccentric to the said axis of angular adjustment of the tool.

6. A scarifier assembly as defined in claim 5, further including a movable control element for the brakes of the said railroad car, said element being mounted on said frame in the path of swinging movement of said shank.

7. A scarifier assembly as defined in claim 4 in which said yieldable means comprises a piston and cylinder unit extending between and connected to said frame and to said tool respectively at locations eccentric to said axis of angular adjustment of the tool, and means for maintaining actuating liquid at a predetermined substantially constant pressure in said unit and for permitting escape of said actuating liquid from the piston and cylinder unit when said pressure is exceeded.

8. A scarifier assembly as defined in claim 4 in which said ballast excavating tool comprises a normally depending rigid shank pivotally connected to said frame for angular adjustment about a horizontal axis parallel to that of the frame, said guide shoe being aflixed to said shank and guiding the latter in scraping relation with the ends of the respective ties.

9. A scariiier assembly as defined in claim 8, further including a generally vertically extending plow plate, having a leading edge afiixed to said shank and having a rearwardly extending laterally outwardly curved trailing portion for deflecting the ballast laterally outwardly away from the tie ends.

10. A scarifier assembly as defined in claim 2 in which said power means for'yieldably urging said tool toward the ties comprises part of said power means for adjusting said supporting frame.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,873,794 8/1932 Speno 37105 2,309,712 2/1943 Philbrick 37104 3,055,309 9/1962 Moss 37104 X OTHER REFERENCES German printed application, 1,032,298, June 1958.

ANTONIO F. GUIDA, Primary Examiner.

ABRAHAM G. STONE, Examiner.

R. L. HOLLISTER, Assistant Examiner. 

